The New Sumatran Tigers

By: Stephen Taylor, Animal Keeper I

published Mon March 31, 2014

As you all may have heard there are two new tigers at the Hattiesburg Zoo. The new cats are Sumatran tigers and are on loan from the LA Zoo. Naturally the Sumatran tigers can be found in Sumatra, an island in western Indonesia. There are an estimated 400-700 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, which classifies them as critically endangered. The Sumatran tigers are one of the smaller species of tiger. The first thing you may notice when you first see them is how dark their orange fur is. Unlike our beloved Siberian tiger, Tigger, their fur is much darker which allows them to easily stalk their prey unnoticed through dense bamboo and forests that are found on the island of Sumatra. The two new tigers are both males siblings born August 6, 2011. They are around 2 and a half years and are absolutely full of energy! They weigh around 200 lbs and can get up to 300 lbs as they continue to grow some more over the next couple of years. Like most siblings they have vastly different personalities from one another. Kuasa is the bolder of the two and tends to be the more dominant one. Cinta is much more relaxed and calm. The keepers have notice that Cinta absolutely loves to sneak attack his brother frequently. Cinta is also much more talkative than his brother and will grunt at the keepers almost constantly as they are near him. The main way the keepers have been distinguishing them is by the marks on their right cheek. Kuasa has a prominent “C” shaped stripe, whereas, Cinta has a “h” on his right cheek. The two boys are avid pool goers and can be seen playing in the pool often when the weather is right. Dragging their toys into the pools is their favorite thing to do. Amongst all the news of the new arrivals many have wondered if Tigger is okay, I am happy to say she is doing well! She will be turning 17 this month and is still going strong. The two Sumatran tigers and Tigger will never go onto exhibit together since there is such a difference in both size and age in the cats and we do not want any fighting to occur. So for this reason the Sumatran tigers and Tigger will be swapping who goes out onto the exhibit each day. So come by the Hattiesburg Zoo sometime soon to see the new rambunctious Sumatran tiger brothers, Kuasa and Cinta!